Digital Prevention

<< Background >> The application for the project was driven by the need to address specific challenges and opportunities identified by the participating organizations. The primary objective was to create a digital toolkit comprising 12 innovative youth work methods. These methods, grounded in non-formal education principles, aimed to enhance the mental health and overall well-being of young people in relation to social media use.The project was particularly significant for organizations working with youth, as they witnessed the impact of social media on the mental health and well-being of their target groups. The project provided an opportunity to develop and share new tools and methods to address these issues effectively.The partnership was formed among four youth organizations, none of which had previously coordinated a KA2 project. This collaboration allowed for the pooling of diverse experiences and strengths, contributing to the project's success. The partners were selected from a group of about a hundred European youth organizations, with the main criteria being their commitment to addressing the challenges faced by young people in a digitally-dominated world.<< Objectives >> The primary objective of the project was to develop a digital toolkit consisting of 12 newly created youth work methods. These methods were designed based on non-formal education principles, with a focus on improving the mental health and general well-being of young people in relation to their use of social media. The consortium partners planned to create these methods after conducting research at the local level with youngsters from their communities.This initiative aimed to empower youth organizations and youth workers with innovative tools and methods to address the challenges young people face in the digital age, particularly concerning social media's impact on mental health. The project's activities included research related to social media and the use of digital tools by young people, highlighting the importance of understanding their perspectives and experiences.In essence, the project sought to bridge the gap between youth workers and the young people they support, providing practical, research-backed methods to foster better mental health and well-being in a world increasingly influenced by digital and social media interactions.<< Implementation >>The project involved a series of activities designed to achieve its objectives:Management activities: this included partner management meetings, focusing on complementarity of tasks, covering all project areas. The consortium agreed on work package divisions for efficient management, research, toolkit development, and visibility.Research on social media use by young people: this activity involved conducting research related to social media and the use of digital tools by young people. The findings from this research were crucial for developing the methodologies.Development of the multi-media toolkit: this step involved creating a team of expert youth workers, online meetings for brainstorming and idea exchange, and the actual development of methods within each national team. At the end, a total of 14 methodologies resulted.Local workshops to test methods with young people: each partner conducted local workshops where youth workers applied and tested the created methods. Feedback from these sessions was used to refine and finalize each method.Multiplier events at the local level and dissemination campaign: this involved promoting and multiplying the project's results to enhance its impact and sustainability.<< Results >>The project's concrete outputs and results are:Digital toolkit: a key output was the development of a digital toolkit comprising 14 innovative non-formal methods for youth work. These methods were designed to improve the mental health and well-being of young people, particularly in relation to social media use. The toolkit was created based on research and tested through local workshops by each partner organization https://www.digitalprevention.eu/inglese/ on the websiteSkill enhancement: the project significantly improved the skills of trainers and staff involved in youth education across the partner organizations. This was achieved through the development and organization of educational events and activities.Management practices development: another notable result was the enhancement of management practices within the involved organizations. This improvement was crucial for the successful implementation of the project and for future projects.Dissemination and Visibility: The project results were disseminated through various channels (association’s website, journalism channel), official project website DIGITALPREVENTION.EU, and social media (facebook, instagram). By this everything was accessible to a wider audience.